Do you miss your child/ren when they were little?

[Blueskies3]

I hear lots of people say when they have adult children that they miss their children from when they are little. They would leave their present day to go back. A friend also wants to have a third baby to stay in the little kids bubble for longer.

For those that have grown children do you feel like this?

I particularly loved the preschool years and infants with all the days out at parks and craft activities in the kitchen. I struggled a bit when DS started school and considered retraining as a teaching assistant (I've always worked in admin).

However life moved on and I can't say in our lives that any one age has been particularly difficult (aside from newborn).

I love my adult son - and perhaps there will be grandchildren in future so that I can relive the good parts of the younger days.

Yes I do.

I occasionally have dreams where my sons are young again - then feel a bit sad when I wake up and back to reality.

They're now adults - even my grandchildren are teens and that bit also passed by in a blink of an eye.

God no. My DH moons about our empty nest reminiscing about the ‘best years of our lives’ when our DC were little. I hate to break it to him that actually they were some of the most stressful, unhappy and manic years for me and I’m loving our kids now they’re great adult company. Quite frankly it pisses me off and I don’t know why he lives in the past and can’t appreciate how good it is now.

Definitely. I miss snuggling up and reading them stories. How a hug could fix their world for a while. Now they are taller than me!!!

If you did most of the leg work that's probably why he can look back on it so fondly. Easy to do when it's not hard work for him.

I have a nearly 4 year old and my heart already aches a bit for his pre school years - we've still got a year before he starts school!

I'm only having 1 so this is my only chance to have a little one and I love it. I'd keep him at this age if I could.

No. I think of those days with fondness, but I enjoy them now in their late 20s and early 30s and love the close relationship we have built over the years.

No. I loved those times but have a really close relationship with my now adult children and I’d miss that if I went back to the baby/toddler stage. Although shortly to be a granny (again, have a bonus grandchild) and really looking forward to that bit !

Same here. Those chubby baby cheeks and little hands. I miss all of it.

I've often wanted to go back for a week and have my young ones back.
The laughter and hugs hustle and bustle of family life.
I do remember being overwhelmed when they were small and skint.!!
I can remember the stress too though.
I would see them more as adults if they lived closer.

I have lovely selective memories from when they were little but would no way want to go back.

Ds1 is only 4 but I don't miss his baby years. He was very cute but it's so tiring. Love seeing him grow up. I have ds2 who is only 3 weeks old and I forgot how relentless it was in the early days.

Ah mine are only 6, 4 and 2 but I already worry about this in the future
!! I feel like I'm not enjoying it enough some days because I absolutely know I will miss it. I looked forward to having babies my whole life! It's so hard though when you're in the thick of it everyday and it's tough and exhausting!

Yes - same here.

This!!!

I appreciated while they were that little, but I don't really miss it - they're 13 and 16 now. I'm enjoying not being needed as much and them being teenagers I can talk to on a level, but can always call on the memories of the cute/lovely things they did when they were smaller.

I might feel more nostalgic when youngest gets 'the growth spurt' and his voice breaks - he's still pretty childlike and cute and squeaky, but not for much longer!

I’d love to go back but with the knowledge I have now. DS 15 is ND. I’d go back and not send him to school to avoid the trauma.

No, not at all.

Babies are much nicer when you can hand them back to people and get yourself a good night's sleep.

But also, I very much love the young adults my dc are today. I've had my time parenting babies, toddlers, Primary and secondary aged people, late teens, and now am enjoying having adult children very much.

Yes. Very much. They are wonderful adults but in spite of tough times for many reasons when they were young which meant there waa a lot of struggle.... I miss those babes.

I cannot get my head round anyone missing the baby years! Torture and so very boring.

Ours are tweens now and I'm loving nearly every minute. I'm hoping I will just enjoy it more amd more the older they get... but truth is I'd happily freeze them at this age now.

Mine are 12 & 13 now and no, I don't miss the young stages. They were hellish.

There are some things I miss but mostly I love having grown up children. I enjoy their company.

But you will love all the other stages too. Even the teens have their good points !

Yes I did until a few weeks ago when I went to my nephews birthday party. 30 babies and toddlers, oldest child was 5 and it knocked some sense into me that I was looking back with rose tinted glasses and not remembering the sleepless nights, eating a meal cold because of food being throw from the highchair or dc having a tantrum. The party was lovely but manic. My dc's are 13, 15 and 17. No more babies for me and it would be a miracle as I am in my fifties.

This really resonates with me. I have a 3 and a 1 year old and I hate how much I find myself wishing for bedtime sometimes, because life is bloody tough. But I know I'm going to miss all of this so much when they're older though. It's just impossibly hard to enjoy it when you're this bloody exhausted.